Day 64 – 365 Days of Photography

3-5-2014

Today my brother Dean would’ve been 51 if he were still on this earth.  So today had a bit of melancholy for me.  This is not my best shot, but it marks an inner peace, a tranquility that I felt, looking out into the distance.  Staring into the vast open nothingness, but seeing promise of tomorrow, of things to come.

My husband and I took the drive down to Icacos, Trinidad to visit with my cousin, we, together with her went down pass her house, down this lonely dead end road and walked down on an uninhabited part of the beach.  There was absolutely no one there, which is rare on Ash Wednesday the day after carnival Tuesday.  Today is notorious of beach goers, and normally you cannot stick a pin on any of the nation’s beaches.

We later sat reminiscing of times spent with my brother and noted how much he was missed.

Peace, calm, serene, tranquil, is where I see my brother today, off floating in the heavens awaiting such a time as we are destined to meet again.  Gone to soon, loved, missed but never forgotten.  R.I.P. D.A.G.L.  3.5.63-10.20.2011

Email contact: upborel@gmail.com

© 2013, Odette M. Lawrence and NorDean Canvas. All rights reserved. The use and/or duplication of this material without the express and written permission of this blog’s author and/or owner are unauthorized and strictly prohibited. 

Day 63 – 365 Days of Photography

3-4-2014

This is the last day of Carnival here in Trinidad and Tobago.  ‘Pretty Mas’, where the masqueraders dress in costume and take to the street and go over the stage at Queen’s Park Savannah to be judged in a contest of the bands. 

I am from south Trinidad, Clifton Hill, Point Fortin to be exact.  My husband is from Belmont, Port of Spain.  When we went into Port of Spain the Saturday prior, he met with several of his old school mates, and they suggested that we meet up with them on Tuesday to take in the bands.  We had no intentions prior to, to be in the streets come carnival Tuesday, but I welcomed the idea as it afforded me an opportunity to take some pictures of this festive occasion that only occurs once per year. 

The ‘liming’ (hanging out) spot was to be at the corner of Ariapita Avenue and Ana Street.  This, I later found out was a prime location as every band either came down Ana street or across Ariapita Avenue.   We saw several of the bands pass as we were there from 10 am through 7 pm.  Needless to say I was pooped from all the standing, dancing, shandy drinking and trying to wine down low like a young school girl.  LOL!

I will post all of the Carnival photos in an album labeled ‘Carnival 2014’ on my facebook page!  If we’re not already friends, go ahead and follow me.

https://www.facebook.com/Nordean.Canvas

Email contact: upborel@gmail.com

© 2013, Odette M. Lawrence and NorDean Canvas. All rights reserved. The use and/or duplication of this material without the express and written permission of this blog’s author and/or owner are unauthorized and strictly prohibited. 

Day 62 – 365 Days of Photography

3-3-2014

J’ouvert is a large street party during the Carnival, in Trinidad it occurs the Monday before Ash Wednesday.  J’ouvert is a contraction of the French ‘jour ouvert’, or dawn/day break.  The celebration involves calypso/soca blasting off of trucks (typically 18 wheelers) via a DJ sound system.  The festival starts well before dawn and peaks a few hours after sunrise.  In Trinidad and Tobago, a part of the tradition involves smearing paint, mud, or oil on the bodies of the participants and often onlookers.  These participants are known as “Jab Jabs”.  I went into the city for not so happy an occasion but rather to visit a friend of my husband that was in the hospital after being stabbed the Friday before carnival.  My husband took me around the Savannah so I could capture a few shots of the revelers.

This particular masquerader was a good sport, allowing me to capture him, I allowed them to smear me with blue paint to show my camaraderie.

Email contact: upborel@gmail.com

© 2013, Odette M. Lawrence and NorDean Canvas. All rights reserved. The use and/or duplication of this material without the express and written permission of this blog’s author and/or owner are unauthorized and strictly prohibited. 

Day 61 – 365 Days of Photography

3-2-2014

Beach time!  One good thing about the carnival season is the fact that everyone is off from work and out from school.  As such we met up with some close friends and headed to the beach in the neighborhood that two of us grew up in.  We cooked on the beach, curry chicken, duck, yard fowl, stew chicken, anchar mango, dasheen bush badghi and buss-up-shot (a type of roti), to name a few.   We had sweet bread, cake, cookies, chips and chow (pommecythere, apple, orange).  Soft drinks, shandy, malta, and juices.  We played cricket and football on the shore, and had several swimming races.   We spent hours there, from around 9am through 6pm.  The day was full of entertainment, camaraderie and joy.

My daughter ran up the beach towards my husband and I got her in silhouette running back towards me.

Email contact: upborel@gmail.com

© 2013, Odette M. Lawrence and NorDean Canvas. All rights reserved. The use and/or duplication of this material without the express and written permission of this blog’s author and/or owner are unauthorized and strictly prohibited. 

Day 60 – 365 Days of Photography

3-1-2014

Hummingbirds

Trinidad and Tobago is home to over 17 hummingbird species, with approximately 15 species being indigenous to the islands.  Hummingbirds are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings.  They are the only birds that can fly backwards.

These hummingbirds are fast, and fly by so close to your head that you hear the buzz of their wings as they pass.  It was difficult capturing them because of their speed.  Most don’t rest on the feeders but instead dart with such precision, pulling the nectar equivalent through the tiny flower holes and then flitting away.

Here is a list of the known hummingbirds seen on the twin island.

Common name	Binomial	Status
Rufous-breasted Hermit	Glaucis hirsuta
Green Hermit	Phaethornis guy	Trinidad only
Little Hermit	Phaethornis longuemareus	Trinidad only
White-tailed Sabrewing	Campylopterus ensipennis	Tobago only; Near-threatened
White-necked Jacobin	Florisuga mellivora
Brown Violet-ear	Colibri delphinae	Trinidad only
Green-throated Mango	Anthracothorax viridigula	Trinidad only
Black-throated Mango	Anthracothorax nigricollis
Green-throated Carib	Eulampis holosericeus	Trinidad only
Ruby-topaz Hummingbird	Chrysolampis mosquitus
Tufted Coquette	Lophornis ornatus	Trinidad only
Blue-chinned Sapphire	Chlorostilbon notatus
Blue-tailed Emerald	Chlorostilbon mellisugus	Trinidad only
Fork-tailed Woodnymph	Thalurania furcata	Trinidad only
Golden-tailed Sapphire	Chrysuronia oenone	Trinidad only
White-tailed Goldenthroat	Polytmus guainumbi	Trinidad only
White-chested Emerald	Agyrtria brevirostris	Trinidad only
Glittering-throated Emerald	Polyerata fimbriata	Trinidad only; Rare/Accidental
Copper-rumped Hummingbird	Amazilia tobaci
Long-billed Starthroat	Heliomaster longirostris	Trinidad only
Rufous-shafted Woodstar	Chaetocercus jourdanii	Trinidad only; Rare/Accidental

I captured several species, but thought it fitting to show you this Copper Rumped Hummingbird.

Captured in New Grant, at the home of a fellow photo (Larry Khan) enthusiast, that has quite a budding bird sanctuary right in his own back yard.

Email contact: upborel@gmail.com

© 2013, Odette M. Lawrence and NorDean Canvas. All rights reserved. The use and/or duplication of this material without the express and written permission of this blog’s author and/or owner are unauthorized and strictly prohibited.